Matt Besler leaving Sporting KC after 12 years with his hometown MLS team
After 12 years spent playing professional soccer for his hometown club, Matt Besler’s time suiting up for Sporting Kansas City has finally come to a close.
With Besler’s contract having expired at the end of the 2020 season, Sporting KC opted not to offer him a contract extension for 2021. The longtime Sporting KC captain said he was looking forward to entering free agency.
“Part of me is devastated — I never imagined saying goodbye to my hometown club like this,” Besler wrote in a statement posted to social media.
“However, my family and I are grateful for the experiences and unforgettable memories from the past 12 years.”
Kansas City also declined options for Eric Dick, Wan Kuzain, Winston Reid and Richard Sanchez and is still in contract discussions with Roger Espinoza, Gerso Fernandes, Felipe Gutierrez and Erik Hurtado.
The club also exercised contract options for Amadou Dia, Felipe Hernandez, Gadi Kinda, Johnny Russell and Graham Smith for 2021.
Besler, 33, headlines the group of players who will not be returning to Children’s Mercy Park. Appearing 348 times for the club — and starting 337 of those — Besler has accumulated a club-record 30,397 minutes in a Sporting KC jersey.
“Obviously it’s a decision that doesn’t come easy for so many reasons,” Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said Wednesday during a news conference. “It’s a relationship that I will always hold very dear to my heart but in sports salary cap world, in the idea that players and staff members will be with the club forever is not something that is likely. It’s not going to happen.
“So unfortunately at this moment, we’ve come to the conclusion that we’re going to separate ways and move on from each other. That doesn’t say anything about his contribution to this club other than he’s been a tremendous player for this club, he has helped build the brand, helped the competition on the field, he’s been an incredible ambassador of the sport and of Sporting Kansas City. And so for that, we thank him for everything that he’s done.”
Before being selected as the eighth overall pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, Besler played high school soccer for Blue Valley West, where he was a four-time all-conference player. He then spent four seasons with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in college before returning to Kansas City with the Wizards.
During his time in Kansas City, he would go on to not only captain Sporting KC but play an integral part in the club’s 2013 MLS Cup success as well as capturing the U.S. Open Cup in 2012, 2015 and 2017.
But for the first time in his career, Besler saw drastically reduced minutes in 2020. He made just 12 appearances in all competitions — which ties with 2010 for the least amount of appearances in a season for him — and contributed to just two clean sheets.
He last appeared for the club on Sept. 24 but played just 45 minutes before being substituted because of a hamstring injury. Although featuring on the bench for the last five games of the regular season, his 45-minute stint in the 2-1 loss to Orlando would be his final minutes for the club.
Along with Besler’s departure, the club opted to not bring in Reid on a permanent basis after the New Zealand international spent the season on loan in Kansas City from West Ham United.
With both Besler and Reid leaving the club, Sporting’s only three centerbacks on the roster are Andreu Fontas, Graham Smith and Roberto Puncec.
Sporting KC players under contract in 2021
Goalkeepers (2): Tim Melia, John Pulskamp
Defenders (7): Amadou Dia, Andreu Fontas, Jaylin Lindsey, Luis Martins, Roberto Puncec, Graham Smith, Graham Zusi
Midfielders (5): Gianluca Busio, Cam Duke, Felipe Hernandez, Gadi Kinda, Ilie Sanchez
Forwards (6): Tyler Freeman, Wilson Harris, Alan Pulido, Johnny Russell, Daniel Salloi, Khiry Shelton
This story was originally published December 9, 2020 at 2:34 PM with the headline "Matt Besler leaving Sporting KC after 12 years with his hometown MLS team."